Sinhalese colonization of Tamil village in Eastern Province

[TamilNet, Sunday, 03 May 2009, 04:37 GMT]
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Eastern Province parliamentarians accused the government of colonizing traditional Tamil villages in the border area between the districts of Batticaloa and Ampaa’rai districts with Sinhalese families, sources in Batticaloa said. Encroachment by Sinhalese families of paddy fields of Tamils in Keviliyaamadu village in Paddippazhai Divisional Secretariat in Batticaloa district takes place with government assistance, they further said.
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10 Tamils arrested in Badulla

[TamilNet, Saturday, 25 April 2009, 12:27 GMT]
Ten Tamil civilians were taken into custody in several estates surrounding Passara in Badulla district during a cordon and search operation conducted on Thursday from morning till evening. Police said the arrested were detained in police stations and being interrogated as they failed to prove their identity and justify the reason for their presence in the location.
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SLA deserter from Vanni arrested with jewelry in Anuradhapura

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 March 2009, 17:31 GMT]
Thambuthegama police in Anuradhapura district arrested Tuesday evening a Sri Lanka Army (SLA) deserter from Visuvamadu battle front in Vanni with jewelry articles worn by women worth around 3 million rupees at a check point in Thambuthegama, according to media report in Colombo quoting H. W. Kumarasiri, the Officer-in-charge of Thamuthegama police.
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Tigers seize weapons from SLFP Karuna camp in Batticaloa

[TamilNet, Friday, 20 March 2009, 14:14 GMT]
An armed paramilitary person was killed and two T-56 assault rifles were seized Thursday night around 11:00 p.m. when an ambush team of the Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam (LTTE) carried out a surprise attac on a building at Ku'laththumadu in Vaakaneari in Vaazhaichcheani, according to a news release by the LTTE. The building, used as an office of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) was a minor camp of Karuna group, the Tigers said. Dayamohan, the Batticaloa district political head of the LTTE told TamilNet last week that Karuna group had stepped up intimidations against the civilians in Batticaloa and Ampaa'rai districts in recent times.
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4 Tamil herdsmen reported missing in Ampaa’rai

[TamilNet, Thursday, 19 March 2009, 06:44 GMT]
Four Tamil herdsmen who went to graze their cattle on 23 January in the area between Ampaa’rai and Batticaloa district boundaries, with permission from Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers had gone missing, according to complaints made to the police authorities. More than 500 cattle taken for grazing in Pullukannaava, Manka’lakama, Keviliyaamadu and Vakkiyella are reported missing too.
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Shelling doesn't spare even babies in wombs

[TamilNet, Sunday, 15 March 2009, 02:18 GMT]
While four pregnant mothers were killed in SLA shelling on Friday inside the safe zone, another mother who was admitted to the makeshift-hospital after injuries in her lower abdomen gave birth Saturday to a baby girl, but the hospital staff noticed the child having shrapnel on her left thigh. The newborn child went through a small surgery even before her first feeding, according to the medical staff at the hospital in Maaththa'lan.
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Police station opened in SLA occupied village in Mannaar

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 10 March 2009, 07:09 GMT]
Sri Lanka Police key officials participated in the official opening of a police station Monday around 10:00 a.m. in Muzhangkaavil village, which was earlier under the control of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Mannaar district. Four police stations were established last year later part in Chilaavaththu’rai, Madu Church, Vidaththaltheevu, Illuppaikkadavai and the one established this year are the five police stations opened in Mannaar district. Civilians are not allowed to enter these villages.
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Slave camp suspected in Ki'linochchi hospital building

[TamilNet, Friday, 27 February 2009, 17:34 GMT]
A slave camp consisting male and female members 'chosen' from the fleeing civilians by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) is reportedly setup in the abandoned Ki'lnochchi hospital building, reported TamilNet correspondent in Vanni, citing unverified information reaching Mullaiththeevu from males who escaped from the camp. According to the sources, men are kept at the downstairs for forced labour and women kept in the upstairs for abuse by the SLA soldiers who are on temporary leave.
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Police arrest 4 Tamils in Kandy

[TamilNet, Monday, 23 February 2009, 19:42 GMT]
Kandy Police Saturday arrested four Tamil youths in a cordon and search operation conducted in the Kandy town. Police said they are being detained in the police station and are being interrogated. Police said they were residents of Uduwela, Dehideniya, Rakwana, Pelmadulla and Kandy.
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Tragedy of civilians as international mechanism backs out

[TamilNet, Monday, 09 February 2009, 12:33 GMT]
Eight died and forty injured among fleeing civilians, reportedly caused by a human bomb according to news released by Sri Lankan military Monday. 15 military personnel also died and 24 injured in an 'IDP rescue centre' north of Visuvamadu, the military said. There were children among the dead as seen in the video released by the Sri Lankan military. The US Embassy in Colombo was quick to condemn the LTTE, based entirely on the Sri Lankan military version of the story.
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More than 180 killed in Sri Lankan bombardment within 48 hours

[TamilNet, Sunday, 08 February 2009, 04:00 GMT]
More than 120 civilians were killed in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) shelling Friday and Saturday inside the safety zone in Chuthanthirapuram, Iruddumadu, Udaiyaarkaddu and Theavipuram within the last 48 hours. At least 59 civilians were killed Friday and more than 62 killed on Saturday. Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombed Puthukkdiyiruppu (PTK) Ponnampalam hospital killing 61 patients on Friday. Casualty figures from SLA shelling in Puthukkudiyiruppuu were not available.
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Missing SLA soldiers' parents urge ICRC to approach LTTE

[TamilNet, Sunday, 08 February 2009, 02:25 GMT]
Parents of missing Sri Lankan soldiers this week urged the ICRC to approach the LTTE to check whether their sons were in Tiger custody as reports appeared in Colombo media of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) overrunning an LTTE detention camp in Visuvamadu area. The association of missing soldiers parents, based in Kandy, has sent a letter to the ICRC in Colombo urging it to take up the issue with the LTTE as they feared 750 Sri Lankan soldiers were in LTTE custody.
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CPI leader's car set on fire in Chennai

[TamilNet, Friday, 06 February 2009, 22:25 GMT]
Communist Party of India (CPI) Tamil Nadu State Secretary D. Pandian's car and a moped parked in his A'n'naa Nakar (Anna Nagar) residence were set on fire by unidentified persons Thursday night, media reports from Chennai said. Mr. Pandian was away in Mathurai (Madurai) at that time.
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SLA attacks 'safety zone' using short-range mortars, gunfire, claiming lives

[TamilNet, Thursday, 05 February 2009, 20:59 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) on Thursday shell-attacked saftey zone in torrents not allowing people to come out of bunkers throughout the day in Chuthanthirapuram and Iruddumadu civilian refuges. Two of the sixteen dead bodies of civilians brought to hospital had gunfire injuries, according to medical sources. More than 6,000 shells exploded inside the safe zone, reported TamilNet correspondent amidst shelling audible throughout reporting. The SLA has deployed several short and medium range mortars to fire shells on Chunthanthirapuram and Iruddumadu.
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Tha'l'laadi

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 03 February 2009, 00:06 GMT]
The locality of the lake / waterhole
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Family man immolates himself, Tamil Nadu tense

[TamilNet, Saturday, 31 January 2009, 07:23 GMT]
A father of five children, set himself ablaze in Madurai, Tamil Nadu Friday night, demanding justice and peace for Eezham Tamils. The man, Ravi, has succumbed to his injuries at the hospital Saturday evening, sending shock waves across the state, according to media sources in Madurai.
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Last statement of Muthukumar

[TamilNet, Friday, 30 January 2009, 09:04 GMT]
Journalist Muthukumar distributed a 4-page statement in Tamil before his self-immolation Thursday in Tamil Nadu. TamilNet provides a translation for the English readership to grasp the significance, without taking responsibility for the accuracy of facts. "The sacrifice of young and idealistic Muthukumar is lamentable beyond words and thoughts of re-enactment should never become a necessity to anyone. It is a reminiscence of the Vietnam of 1960's when self-immolation of monks protesting brutal atrocities as a consequence of US military campaign was common. Such acts occur as a last resort of public frustration when governments suppress democratic space and don't respect overwhelming public opinion of emotional importance," said a diaspora Tamil academic.
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Artillery barrage kills 44 civilians, 178 wounded in 'safety zone'

[TamilNet, Thursday, 29 January 2009, 15:25 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) stepped up indiscriminate artillery barrage towards the heart of 'safety zone' since Thursday noon killing at least 44 civilians and causing injuries to 178, initial reports from Vanni said. The shelling has targeted Chuthanthirapuram 100-housing scheme, where at least 7 civilians were reported killed. 16 civilians were reportedly killed and scores wounded near St. Antony's Church in Chuthanthirapuram.
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3 Tamil youths arrested in Kandy

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 27 January 2009, 19:00 GMT]
Three Tamil youths from Mullativu and Visvamadu were arrested in a cordon and search operation conducted in Kandy town Monday evening, police sources said. The youths are being detained in the Kandy police station and are being further interrogated.
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SLA shelling kills 22 civilians, wounds 60, targets humanitarian supply centre

[TamilNet, Sunday, 25 January 2009, 19:13 GMT]
Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has continued artillery shelling on densely populated 'safety zone,' in Chuthanthirapuram, Udaiyaarkaddu and Thearaavil in Visuvamadu throughout Sunday, at least twice attacking the vicinity of the supply centre, located at Chuthanthirapuram playground, the only centre in Vanni where humanitarian supplies brought in by the UN World Food Programme are distributed. Two shells exploded in the premises, killing five members of a single family of Mr. Jegatheeswaran, owner of a saloon displaced from Visuvamadu. Five more civilians, including children and women, were also killed. Body parts were scattered across the locality and not all of them could be identified, according to medical sources. At least 13 civilians were wounded at the site.
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